I dont know how to begin this was the worst dinning experience i have ever came across.  We can start with the no air conditioning in the  dinning and bar area which both were so unorganized they seemed under staffed but were not. The bar tender was spread out in three different conversations and unable to attend to cliental.  OMG then came the food the beans were very old the tortillas were far from home scratched and my main course I would have to have been really ignorant to fall for it actually being cooked in a banana leaf.  You could easily tell the banana leaf was placed on the plate and a scoop of burrito pork mix that had been sitting for hours placed on top. The lack of flavor in all of the food passes the scale of bland. To top it off we had to sit waiting for someone, anyone to help us so we could pay for our check.  I have traveled all over every continent in the world trying food from the darkest corners to the best dinning establishments and have only came across staff this unorganized a couple times.  As far as the food I can see how corners have been cut but for heaven sakes do not cheat that bad. One good thing I can say the Paloma drinks were well prepared.
Review Source:I come here often and generally enjoy it. Tonight was different and hopefully just a fluke. We waited 40 minutes for our food and when I finally got my fish tacos it was obvious they had been in the fryer for the entire 40 minutes. Im OK with mistakes but i'm not sure why they would put them on a customer's plate. I gave it 3 stars as my family's food was good. On a previous visit I had the shrimp crakes and they were outstanding. Should have stuck with those.
Review Source:Really cool décor, nice location, ambience is real smooth. That's pretty much it for the positives.
Server had no idea what to recommend so we ordered some basics. We had chicken casuela (fancy name for taco salad in a pre-packaged shell) and carnitas, both were super bland. The carnitas plate looked decent enough but the taste was just simply missing. I think they forgot to add the peppers to the salsas. The beans weren't very good but the rice was ok. I might return for the bar but definitely not the food. If you prefer good food go elsewhere cause you won't find any here unless you bring your own.
I don't think anything was very fresh but eh who knows 1/4 through the meal I was done with it. Would perhaps only return to the bar area but not for food. For good Mexican food your better off going to the taco trucks then this place. But hey if bland is your thing then you'll probably love the joint.
The Good:
-Location is nice
-Decor is pleasant
The Bad:
- Salsa is not fresh- seriously its so simple to make fresh
-The guacamole is average- I'm not sure why people get so excited about the guacamole- you can make better at home- the only difference is that its mediocre guacamole made at your table.
The Ugly:
-THE FOOD
- Ive have the burrito before and it was below average- taco trucks make much better burritos then this place and they can serve it in great time for less money so skip the burritos
- So typically i love mexican food, its got all of the components i love, rich spices, fresh ingredients, meat etc but who this place found a way to make bald mexican food.
WHAT WE ORDERED;
- The beans and spanish rich- beans are the simplest side dish- common guys put in some effort! The beans had NO flavor and taste as if they came out of a can.The rice doesn't even look like spanish rice, it taste more like boiled rice with salt.
- My fiancé got the DUCK which is $16 or $17 - duck was moist however covered in sauce and not seasoned well, fat and skin were not seared therefore the fat and skin were chewy, gelatinous messes and my fiancé didn't eat it.
- I ordered Cochinita Pibil which is suppose to be marinated in spices however was completely over cooked and just tossed in a sauce which looks and tastes a lot like the water in a can of beans. Meat was so dry we took the food in doggie bags and thats exactly where our meal  ended up, with our dog and what he is not allowed to eat went in the trash.
Alebrijes, while difficult to pronounce correctly, is not difficult to appreciate. From the special touches added to familiar items, like pineapple and cabbage in the el pastor burrito, to less-familiar tastes like chicken mole, numerous seafood offerings, and an ever-expanding list of regional specials, there is something for everyone here. Must-haves include fresh guacamole, Coke from Mexico with real cane sugar, chimichangas, and the el pastor burrito. Go wild and try something you've never heard of: you'll be treated to a great new experience.
Review Source:Very disappointed in the food, the taste of the food is bland and boring. We went for dinner and ordered chicken tacos, the chicken had some good flavor. The steak hardshell taco, terrible; the shell seemed store bought, the steak was over cooked and small portioned that I could barely taste it. The chile relleno was boring as well. Growing up in Salinas, CA where Mexican food is plentiful, I had high hopes the first time at this place when they were on Ham lane and didn't like it then. Now they are in a bigger place and still not tasty. I guess living in Lodi, people don't get to try real authentic food that they settle for anything. I am not referring this place to anyone.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I tried this place a few days ago. We both love Mexican food (authentic and even not-so-authentic-- if it's tasty!) and there was a Groupon, so we figured no harm in trying somewhere besides Casa Flores...
Oh man. I didn't know pinto beans could be that bland! Literally flavorless. I didn't notice at first because the mushrooms and onions in my vegetarian burrito were pretty good, but my boyfriend seemed sad about his side of refried beans... I tried his and yep, sadness. So I poked around in my burrito for a few whole beans and popped them in my mouth... nope, no flavor. How? What? Never before have I had beans that really, very truly tasted like nothing.
Also, a few others have commented on the weak salsa served with the chips. Yep, can confirm. Milder than mild. I'm sure if we'd asked they probably had something spicier, but we weren't looking to gorge on chips and salsa anyway. (And the chips were kind meh, anyway.)
All negativity aside, I ordered a vegetarian burrito + lettuce and sour cream, smothered in green sauce. I actually liked the green sauce quite a bit. And, as I said previously, all of the elements of my burrito-- not counting the beans-- were pretty good.
Boyfriend had cheese enchiladas. He liked the enchiladas and said the red sauce was "okay" but was disappointed by the beans. He wasn't really blown away by the rice, either.
On a side note, we considered trying their guacamole, but $10? Are you kidding me? Not when I can get avocados for $1 at the grocery store.
Margaritas seemed small, but were okay. $7 okay? I don't know about that. This doesn't really seem like the place to go if one is simply looking to drink, anyway. (I do believe they have a happy hour, though.)
Overall, I don't see us returning. Probably the most unsatisfactory dining experience my boyfriend and I have had in the five years we've spent adventuring to Mexican food joints.
Oh yeah. Service was okay. Except they tried to take my plate TWICE before I was finished with it.
Great food!!! The lamb chops, the steaks, the duck, perfectly cooked and not saturated with all those extra sauces like they do at other places (most other places add sauces to cover their crappy cuts of meat they're serving). Also loved the vibe here and their drinks! No nasty old meat from taco trucks for this lady! All about Alebrijes!!!!
Review Source:What a surprise to find such an outstanding dining experience in Lodi California. Â The food was the best we have had. The Shrimp wrapped in Bacon was incredible. I asked for green sauce on my enchiladas and it was the best, tangy and delicious. Our waitress was friendly, accurate, and extremely efficient. Â She even walked out the door to thank us. We will definitely eat here again.
Review Source:Awful! Â No consistency with this place. Â Last time it was good, so I took my friend here bragging how great it was. Â From start to finish, awful. Â Food took forever to come out and was taco bellish. Â Table side guacamole was horrible and attendant forgot to add seasoning, no one asked about it in order for us to say something.
Place was busy and kitchen a mess and backed up.
No more! Â Avoid this place at all cost!!
After visiting today I'm not a happy camper! My husband ordered the shredded pork on the banana leaf and said it was "sorry" and "dry." The tortillas that came with it were the cheap store bought kind. The only thing he did like were the caramelized habanero onions on top of the pork (not spicy, Taco Bell mild sauce was hotter). Â
I ordered the Alebrijes tour to get a sample of many dishes. For $18, I was really disappointed. I got a toy sized petit filet mignon, a decent crab cake that was all breading, and a good amount of pork medallions smothered in a horrible overwhelming black sauce. Bland beans and rice were served on the side, I literally could have made them.
Needless to say, we will not be going back. : (
Alebrijes has a lot of things going for it. Perfect location in downtown Lodi. Great decor and friendly staff. Full bar that doesn't skimp on the booze.
Unfortunately I've always found the food lacking in any real flavor. I give them credit for having a different concept than the other Mexican restaurants in town. But unfortunately, I'm left wanting to smother my plate in Tapatio just to try to impart some flavor to the dishes.
I've had a couple different burritos and tacos and everything has a very bland palate that I can hardly differentiate from the rice and beans on the side. I shouldn't be leaving a Mexican restaurant wanting to go stop at my favorite taco truck on my way home.
Alebrijes specializes in many things, but what shines through is the fresh, made-from-scratch (just like my suegra makes) dishes from various regions of Mexico. Â From the fresh guacamole made to taste at table-side, while sipping a hisbiscus cosmopolitan that is perfection (not too sweet or syrupy, and capturing the taste of hisbisicus with a hint of citrus), to the regional specialties on the menu. I am vegetarian and was thrilled with the many options to try. Â The soy tacos are flavorful and I loved the salsa. Â The enchiladas with spinach are the best I have tried anywhere. Â Chef Reuben's experience and attention to flavor is evident in each dish. Â Next visit I have to try the sopes and jicama and beet salad. Â
Have no fear carnivores, the menu is filled with mouth watering and authentic dishes. This is not franchise microwaved blah Mexican food. Â This is a feast for the taste buds.
I have to mention the great customer service we received. Â Lodi is notorious for not so friendly service at area establishments, but Alebrijes staff are well trained and adept at meeting your requests. Reminded me of dining in Yountville or San Francisco...great service without any pretentiousness.
This review is for the catering and wine pairing for M2 Wines on East Turner road. The chef designed dishes to go with M2 wines such as Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Viognier. Pairing Mexican food, or at least an updated version of Mexican food, is a difficult challenge.
Alebrijes did a fine job of making dishes to go with the wines. One dish that proved outstanding in my mind was the traditional Mole Negro from Oaxaca. This was an excellent dish that takes a lot of time and effort to execute. Some recipes call for over 20 ingredients including raisins,chiles, chocolate, and various spices.
This is the future of Mexican food and wine in the Central Valley. Cutting edge cuisine with full bodied wines locally produced with quality ingredients.
Stockton and Lodi never had it so good!
My boyfriend and I went here for lunch because we had a groupon we needed to use. There were only a couple table full of guests but the waitress took forever to order our food. We waited almost 40 minutes for our drinks because the poor bartender had to help out as a waiter. Drinks were good but food was expensive and bland. Total wait time for food was an hour, and the waitress never once came back to check on us for water or anything. Waiting for our bill took an additional 20 minutes. There were only 4 tables occupied so the waitress could have handled it on her own, but if they need a waiter they should hire additional staff instead of making the bartender do everything
Review Source:We called ahead and made a reservation for 6:30 on a Saturday night. Since we were coming from out of town (about 30 miles) we didn't gauge travel time correctly but called at 6:28 and said we were about 10 minutes away. The hostess said no problem and we arrived at 6:40. The owner told us they waited a very long time for us so he had to give our table away!!!??? A whole 10 minutes plus we called and they said no problem?
After another 15 minute wait, they threw together a small table by the front door and we were seated. Salsa tasted like tomato sauce and table side guacamole had way too much lime. Good drinks but $8.00 for a tiny mojito is no bueno.
The rice and beans were bland and had to ask the waiter to bring Tapitio sauce. $60 and 60 miles later we were wondering why we came. Should have went to the Lodi Beer Co. instead!!!
Terrible food. I'm not even going to call it Mexican food. You can get better Mexican food at a taco truck--and certainly more authentic. Also, I found a hair in my food--absolutely disgusting.
The only people eating here was the 50+ crowd, and none of them were Hispanic...so that, in addition to the hair in my food, should tell you something about the quality and authenticity of their food.
Came on a Sunday, only 5 tables full, and the service was TERRIBLE. Placed drink orders, 25 minutes later we had to flag down a waitress to place our food order and get status of our drinks. 5 minutes later our cocktails arrived, they weren't bad, and nearly an hour after we arrived we got our food. It was bland and overpriced. The drinks were decent, if you come, go straight to the bar and avoid the food. It's not terrible, just flavorless. Lazy servers, never came to check on us.
Review Source:Been coming here for about 3 years and recently have been coming back more frequently due to being too lazy to cook. Â Today I had lunch with my other half and my brother. Â We ordered their amazing Green Apple Guacamole, which is made to order right at your table! Â I would never put fruit with Guac, but this place takes flavors to the extreme!
My brother ordered their Tostada Salad, (vegan style) and loved it so much, he may never go back to meat!
My other half ordered the 3-item plate, which consisted of a flauta, a cheese enchilada and a fish taco. Â Delicious plate, especially the Fish taco which has some sort of marinated cabbage/onion mixture on top, and a tangy/cream style red sauce drizzled over it!
I actually order 2 items from 2 separate dishes they advertise.  Hey I am pregnant and want very specific things!  Thank God they accommodate me, because I would throw a fit and cry if not.  I order their prawns in the garlic/butter sauce, with a side of their polenta.  I do not get the rice/beans which would come with the Prawn dish, nor the black bean/tomato/onion salad that originally comes with the polenta.  Although all that is great, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE just  the garlic/butter Prawns mixed with the Polenta!  One of the best dishes I have had here, and it should be a staple on the menu.  I also order a side of their "Vegan Cashew Cheese" to dip my polenta in.  Seriously delicious and cannot wait to come back in a week or two after having my baby!
If you come, make sure to get the table side Guacamole (hopefully they have one of the fruit kinds) and if you love Prawns AND polenta, maybe if enough people order it, it will become a menu item! Â
Love this place!
There really isn't an easy way to put it but Alebrijes had to be the biggest disappointment in my life since I found out there was no Santa Claus. Â Not because there wasn't a guy in a red suit, I could care less, Â but because my parents were eating my cookies. Â
I really wanted to love this place, after a long day of wine tasting we needed that cherry on top to close out the annual Lodi Wine and Chocolate Weekend. Â There where a few wineries we visited that had Alebrijes catering and their catered food was amazing. Â We even asked a random person at one of the wineries and he raved about them and told us to make sure we had the guacamole made at our table. Â Glassy eyed and starving we stumbled our way through downtown Lodi to Alebrijes. Â As we approached we started hearing music coming from Alebrijes like trumpets at the pearly gates. Â OK, Â it was Micheal Jackson, but it was Afro Mike not Cap'n Crunch Mike and who doesn't love the "Off The Wall" album.
The first thing I noticed when we walked in were the colors of the restaurant which I liked. Â The reds, blues, oranges and all of the other colors just gave the restaurant a real fun feel to it. Â The service was excellent! They greeted us promptly and RRRamon (he told us to roll the R) our waiter was very attentive and helpful with our questions. A sign of bad things to come was he informed us that their catering menu differs a lot from their restaurant menu.
We ordered the guacamole to be made at our table, unfortunately this is where it goes bad. Â The concept of someone bringing out all the ingredients to your table and having them make your guacamole is cool, but the flavor just didn't deliver. Â It was bland and a lacking in taste. Â I ordered the sopes and chiles rellenos, and even though the presentation was very good my food was not. Â The rice and beans were cold and lifeless, the sope was free of anything savory, while the chile relleno showed no signs of deliciousness I was hoping for. Â Unfortunately, most of the other people in our party felt the same way about their food. Â
It's too bad I didn't enjoy the food here, because everything else should be celebrated, but them playing Micheal Jackson's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" should have been towards the flavor in our food and not towards the chips they kept on bringing out.
The Dictionary defines a Bistro as; a small, modest, European-style restaurant or cafe. But when I see the word bistro associated with a restaurant, I think unique or different when looking over the menu. Â So, if your looking for traditional style Mexican food here at Alebrijes, your going to get your feelings hurt because, they're a bistro and the menu items and dishes offered are both, different and unique. Â
A UYE was set up here at Alebrijes on January 27, 2013 by Maureen G. Â Everyone arrived around 4:30 pm and the group was seated in the bar area, at a table by ourselves. Â
While getting to know everyone and sipping on a cold beer, our table was provided chips and their signature guacamole dip to munch on. Â The chips were cold and tasteless but, the guacamole killed the dull, flavorless taste. Â We we're also provided with salsa which was on the extreme mild side. Â In fact, it was so mild, I asked our waiter to bring something a bit hotter and spicier.
After we we're given menus, I mulled over the impressive and unique menu items offered. Â They had non traditional items like; Duck, Lamb and Lobster Taco's that filled my head with the possibilities of a unique satisfaction.
Going off our waiters recommendation, I chose the Pescado Veracruzana which was a Tilapia fish fillet braised with tomatoes sauce, capers, olives and herbs. Â Accompanying the fish was traditional Mexican Rice and I asked for black beans instead of the offered whole pinto beans.
When my fish plate made it's way in front of me, I was very impressed with the colors and the chef's personal and elegant arraignment.  Sampling my dish, I awed at my fish taste of tart and bitterness.  The flavors of capers and olives over the fish killed it's traditional bottom feeder muddy taste and helped my pallet explore a new and exciting level of goodness.  A goodness I've never known with eating Tilapia.  The rice along with the black beans I tried seemed a bit bland.  They were lacking in flavor or missing a few ingredients  I did like the chef's original and unique touch of serving the rice in the shape of pyramid.  That was a pretty cool idea. Â
Overall, my experience at Alebrijes Mexican Bistro was a decent one. Â But like I mentioned above, if your looking for a traditional Mexican style meal, Alebrijes is not for you. Â Nothing about Alebrijes is traditional Mexican style.
I second the review left by E.D. in Stockton.
Frankly, this has become a below-average restaurant. Â The food is overpriced and tasteless. Â Perhaps even worse, the service is apathetic.
FOOD: Maybe this is a generalization, but Mexican food doesn't seem easy to screw up. Â Alebrijes has somehow found new and disappointing ways to be subpar. Â Last Sunday, I ordered chicken enchiladas and a chicken flauta for $13. Â The chicken in the enchiladas was bland and there were no other ingredients in the tortilla. Â They essentially stewed some chicken, slapped some sauce on it, and wrapped a tortilla around it. Â While the flauta came with a nice guacamole sauce, the outer crust was thick and chewy, Â not flaky and light. Â Made me yearn for Chevy's mass-produced Tex Mex...that's how bad it was.
Finally, the salsa was tasty...if you like tomato sauce. Â I think they don't add any peppers. Â I'm not a big hot sauce guy, but a little kick is nice. Â This salsa was bland, bland, bland.
SERVICE: It was late afternoon on a Sunday. Â Including our table, there were two other small groups of people (4 people each) in the restaurant. Â For some reason, it still took an hour to get our food. Â The server said it was because they were changing shifts. Â For an hour??
And it gets better. Â We had seven people, including a 2-year-old who spent most of the meal in the car, and the restaurant still charged an automatic 18 percent gratuity. Â For what??? Â It took an hour to get our food!! Â Somebody should have been paying attention and realized how bad that is.
SUMMARY: Avoid this place unless you lack taste buds. Â It's the most overpriced restaurant in Lodi. Â If you're in the mood for Mexican, do yourself a favor: there's a taco truck on Turner that makes kick-ass tacos and burritos. Â Go there instead of Alebrijes. Â You'll save about $10 and have a much better meal.
My boyfriend and I met several Yelp friends here for a UYE set up by Maureen G. of Stockton. Â It was nice to be able to see everyone again from a previous event we attended last year! Â
Our waiter Raymond took care of our party with the goal of giving us lots of attention and enthusiasm! Â We were given a special table section in the bar area that started us off with bottomless chips and salsa. Â Then came freshly made guacamole dip prepared in front of us while we watched and learned. Â Drink orders were taken in which potent margaritas that didn't disappoint, were served to start the night off. Â Plenty of patience was given, as we took time making up our minds on what to eat. Â The menu offers a lot of "as expected" Mexican faire, along with other specialty meals that you don't often see at standard Mexican restaurants. Â I played it safe and ordered a 2 item dinner that included a chile rellano, cheese enchilada, refried beans and rice. Â Rueben, the owner and chef of this bistro came out to greet the group and made some recommendations on his specialties. Â I think I disappointed him with my choice since it probably wasn't going to make as big of an impression on me as his gourmet cooking could have done. Â Joe K. however, went into exploration mode and ordered the lamb chops in a signature sauce which really impressed him along with some of our dinner companions who tried the other non traditional food selections.
My food was OK "as expected", but found myself wishing I had been more of a dare devil and sampled something new. Â I definitely will fulfill this wish at our next adventure here. Â We had such a great time enjoying each others company which was made even more possible by the gracious hospitality shown to us by the staff of Alebrijes Mexican Bistro! Â I didn't want the evening to end!
I decided to have our UYE at Alegrijes based on David O's review. Â Ruben and crew really went out of their way to make us at home. Â Comp shots of tequilla infused with pineapple and mango was just one of the things that made me love Alebrijes' Bistro. Â They had the tables all set up and ready to go thanks to Dana C of Lodi Yelp fame. Â This was a real nice venue to just hang out with some Yelp buddies and get caught up on their lives. Â
On the restaurant itself, the chips and salsa were not to my liking. Â I prefer fresh rather than stewed or cooked salsa with fresh tomatoes, jalepenos and onions....this was more of a cooked, dark red salsa that wasn't very spicy. Â The chips weren't hot and were just okay. Â The entrees were pretty remarkable. Â Lamb, Tillappia, pork, shrimp, there were many to choose from. Â I picked the cod fish tacos since that was what my server recommended. Â I have a bad habit of NOT reading the specifics on the menu but thank goodness, Bob was happy to scarf up the pickeled purple cabbage that filled my corn tortillas. Â Yay! Â The black beans were a welcome change up from the traditional "refried" variety. Â The rice was presented in a pyramid shaped tower, nice touch.
All in all the service was spectacular, the venue was fun and the owner was happy to hang out with us to make sure we got exactly what we wanted....all in all a very yelpy night!
This is not one of those dive Mexican food restaurants that I am use to. Â Nope, no hole in the wall here! Â We are talking top notch margaritas and gourmet Mex. Â We are talking lamb chops with fancy mix green salads. Â We are talking gourmet guacamole made fresh at your table. Â We are talking attentive service. Â We are talking shots of tequila infused with pineapple and mango. Â
The moment I walked in the door I knew this was not a place where you ordered tacos and burritos. Â This was a place to go out on a limb and order some new dish you have never had before. Â Who knew I would be eating Lamb Chops with tamarind chipotle glaze and green apple pico de gallo. Â Who knew I would be torn between that and a petite Filet Mignon with melted cheese and caramelized chipotle onions or tender, slightly pink duck served with mole negro oaxaqueno? Â Who knew about the guacamole fresco? Â For some people this might even be life changing. Â Who knew the owner would be checking to make sure we were completely satisfied customers?
Please do me a favor and skip their tacos, skip their burritos, skip their enchiladas. Â Go right to the good stuff. Â You will thank me later.
We had our Winter 2013 UYE here tonight.
A great venue for the event. Â Several smaller
tables were grouped together in the bar area
set up with chips, salsa and water. Â
I enjoyed the salsa...more of a roasted flavor
and not a lot of heat...which was fine with me.
The chips were just ok. Â It seemed like they changed
the chips after the second basket. Â The first basket
or two were better. Â Thanks to Maureen, we also enjoyed
the at-the-table made guacamole. Â It was veryyy good!
Our server/manager was top notch. Â Really took
great care of us. Â Constantly refilled our drinks and
kept the chips and salsa bowls full. Â He also brought out
a dish of salsa that was a bit more spicy which a lot of the
Yelpers enjoyed.
The food...I had two chicken tacos and a chicken enchilada.
Average...nothing outstanding. Â The taco shells came from
a package. Â Reminded me of Taco Bell. Â The chicken enchilada
was on the small side. Â Average Mexican food. Â The rice and
beans...meh.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alebrijes-mexican-bistro-lodi?select=5xuy6ttTHguDGUX59gArPg#7P84tcejtqbD5K97RupKIA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Friend had a pork burrito ($8). Â Said he enjoyed it and, for the price,
would order it again.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alebrijes-mexican-bistro-lodi?select=5xuy6ttTHguDGUX59gArPg#6sL37dIVulsXsnK5zHXBmA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
They offer some unusual dishes that you will not find in a typical Mexican
restaurant such as rack of lamb and pork chops! Â Nice touch...
For a date night or for an upscale Mexican dining experience, this
is the spot. Â For real Mexican food, I would rather go to one of
the restaurants on every corner that just serves plain 'ole good
Mexican food...nothing fancy.
It really saddens me to have to write this review, but I think it's only fair to do so. Â Alebrijes was our date night go-to restaurant up until very recently and I think it's important for Ruben to know what's going on from a long-time customer's perspective.
My husband and I used to frequent Alebrijes at its old location and the food was absolutely delicious, service was fantastic, and it really was our favorite mexican restaurant in the central valley! Â Then they moved to the West Oak street location and we gave them 3-4 visits (a few months) to get things settled before we visited again this past weekend.
After getting out of a movie, we headed over for dinner at 8:30. Â Our first clue that it wasn't going to be a good experience should have been that it took 10 minutes to even be greeted at the door! Â There should have been a hostess at the front of the restaurant the entire time and there wasn't. Â We could have walked out the door before anyone even realized we were there to have dinner! Â Not good for business. In fact, we contemplated doing exactly that, but decided to wait since we normally have such a good experience there and were giving the employees the benefit of the doubt thinking maybe they were short staffed. Â However, we saw 3 people see us at the front door and still nobody came to greet us.
Once we were seated, we were informed that they had run out of salsa...a mexican restaurant out of salsa on a Friday night at 8:30?! Â Hmm. Â There wasn't any silverware or napkins at the table and it was another 10 minutes before anyone even came over to ask us what we'd like to drink. Â They served us chips, but about half of them tasted a bit stale. Â We ended up asking for some red sauce just so that we had something to dip the chips in. Â Don't get me wrong, the waitress that served us was very nice (and apologetic about the lack of salsa), but it appeared that the rest of the restaurant was being run by high school students who need a good lesson on customer service. Â
The food was ok, but lacked the normal delicious flavor that we come back for whenever we head to Alebrijes. Â Their prices are still reasonable, but the overall high quality that we kept returning for has simply been lost. Â I'm sorry to say that Alebrijes is no longer our date night restaurant. Â :(
This place is so delicious! Started going here when they first opened when I was In high school and they actually catered my wedding in October 2011. That was the highlight of the wedding for most people. Usually at a wedding you have the basics like steak or chicken or fish. With vegetables and potatoes and bread...boring! We have chili relleno, guacamole, refried beans, and carnitas. So delicious and different. Not to mention it was such a good price for 200 people.
The owner, Ruben is from Mexico City and he brought a lot of his techniques from Mexico to good ol' Lodi. I went to Oaxaca, Mexico for 3 weeks learning how to cook authentic Mexican food and he has mastered this in his restaurant. He has moles that are to die for. I recommend the mole oaxacano! Deep and dark flavors of chillies, chocolate, sesame, and spices. They also have rabbit for the more venturous eaters.
Thanks Ruben for bringing authentic Mexican food to my hometown!
Well, first the good. Â The food is pretty good. Â Interesting items and a lot of variety on the menu. Â The food gets a strong B+.
The bad might keep me from coming back no matter how good the food is, the service was just terrible.  I purchased two Groupon coupons which is why I was trying a new  to us place.  One for myself and one for a family member.
I had no trouble using my coupon when I picked up my order. Â But a few days later when my dad picked up his order, he was told Groupon is for dine-in only and they wouldn't honor it. Â My dad pointed out that nowhere on the coupon did it say "dine-in only" the hostess became rude and refused to get the manager to resolve the issue. Â Embarrassed by the argument he finally just paid full price and didn't use the coupon. Â
It ended up being more expensive than he normally would have paid for dinner out and he would have gone to his familiar place instead of trying something new if they simply would have made that clear when he ordered or on the coupon. He told them about the coupon when placing the to go order.
What did they expect him to do? Â Sit down and eat from the take-out container at one of their tables while my step-mom's food got cold in the other? Â She is disabled so take out is normally what they do on nights they eat out. Â He couldn't just call her and have her join him is my point.
Just really an odd experience and it must just depend on who rings you up. Â So now we have an unused Groupon and neither of us is crazy about going back to "try" to use it.
This is my first stop on the tour of restaurants I'll be visiting to remember the loss of my Father who was an avid Yelper, please check out R.L.'s reviews to help me remember him.  (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=K5FrmVM70cJDbMiZ9ywMag">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>)
On this particular trip, I ordered everything that he had on his last visit to Alebrije's. Â
Alebrije's is such a great restaurant; it's very close to having 5 stars in my book if it weren't for a few minor details. Â
Let's start with the very minor let downs and then I'll tell you about the good stuff here. Â First off the salsa; to me the salsa was watery and lacked flavor. Â In my Dad's review he really liked the salsa, so I may have just had a bad batch, but it does show a small lack in consistency. Â The margarita was also disappointing, however also according to my Dad, the server doubles as a bartender. Â In my opinion a restaurant should have a dedicated person who mixes the drinks, or there should be some serious quality control. Â Another way consistency might have been varied from my Dad's past experiences.
Now we got the bad news out of the way, let's get on with the good stuff, and I mean really good stuff. Â To emulate my Dad's last experience I ordered the "Momia de Guanajuato... Â Grilled whole Prawns wrapped with Bacon and topped with Cheese, served with Honey Chipotle Sauce on the side." Â (R.L's description). Â I would never have ordered this dish if it wasn't for my Dad, but I am sure glad I did. Â This dish was awesome. Â It definitely covered all the bases when it comes to flavor, I'm not going to do it justice by writing a bad description but you have to try this dish. Â
We also ordered the Camarones a la Diabla. Â The menu says that you get the option of a spicy or mild sauce, we were not given that option, it was just freaking spicy and delicious. Â The spice was intense, but the flavor was well worth the sweat and tears caused by fiery sauce that probably had more Scoville Units than we were prepared for. Â Both dishes were served with the standard beans and rice one gets when eating at Mexican restaurants, however these were much better than your standard fare.
Alebrije's Mexican Bistro might not have 5 stars, but I do love this place.
The biggest problem we had here was the service. We went in for lunch, which had a light crowd, and it was 15 or 20 minutes before we finally had to get up and call over the waitress to order. She took our order on her iPhone, and got mine wrong. I asked for a wet burrito with no meat, and I was brought the vegetarian burrito (a different burrito, with grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms) with no enchilada sauce. The food was good, and presented very nicely, but it wasn't what I ordered.
Seems like a nice restaurant with chefs that know what they are doing, so it's too bad our first experience wasn't all that great. Certainly worth another try though.
After my recent update I heard from Reuben personally, I admire that in a restaurant owner so I figured I'd give em another shot.
Problems solved!
Wait staff issues have been corrected and the food is back to the way it used to be. I guess it was new opening jitters. Thanks for being pro-active Alebrijes.
The first time we came here the chips and salsa were good. We both tried the Sampler / tour of Alebrijes where the Chef picks three menu items. The plates are beautiful and we were both real happy with what was presented to us. Â
The second time the chips were stale and the salsa had no flavor, never a good sign in my experience. This last time we had the guacamole which they make at table side and is very good. I ordered the duck breast and she had a burrito. The duck was a very small portion and the mole was heavy on the fruit side. It was however cooked perfectly, not too done, not too raw and very moist PERFECT. Â The burrito was good it was a Verde super burrito.
As a result of the second trip, and portion sizes they only get 4 stars otherwise they would get 5.
But let me say if you would like a new Mexican food experience this place is it, don't be afraid to try it.
Update for the NEW LOCATION now downtown with a full bar!!
I had my birthday dinner here with some hard to please family members. Â Those same hard to please family members came back within a couple weeks. Â If my grandma likes the food at a Mexican food restaurant enough to go twice within a month, it's GOOD. END OF STORY. Â She can cook Mexican food. Â I can cook Mexican food. Â We know what's up. Â
I enjoyed my tamarind glazed lamb which was perfectly cooked medium rare, but thought the petite filet mignon was a real standout dish. Â Also, you still MUST get the guacamole. The guac is on lock! Â Everything still tasted fresh and was presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Â Â Service was attentive and quickly corrected minor missteps. Â
I know Ruben reads reviews so I feel obligated to mention that twice we've gone and a few tables around remained completely unbussed and cluttered with used plates, glasses, and utensils from the time we've arrived until the time we left. Â This happened even when it wasn't particularly busy. Â It takes away from ambiance I'm sure they want to create. Â This will not stop me from going back and recommending Alebrijes to friends and family though. Â If I'm rolling through Lodi with friends winetasting I'm still going to try to herd them in this direction for a unique Mexican experience.
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